How is the new year going for you? We hope you have had a fantastic start to the new year and that it continues on in the same way! Do you have plans for the new year? Are you looking for a new hobby in 2014? If the answer is yes, then maybe we can introduce you to needle felting. Tiffany and I took up needle felting last year and we haven't looked back! If you're looking for something to do which is a relatively low cost hobby compared to other things such as sports, and a hobby which allows you to be creative to your hearts content, then needle felting could be the perfect choice for you!

Needle felting is the process of repeatedly stabbing wool with a barbed metal needle until the wool fibres start to interlock and become a more solid shape. To shape the wool into the figure you have in mind, you simply concentrate your poking in certain areas that you want to develop, as the more you poke, the smaller it gets, so you can make indentations in this way. With so many different colours available you can have a chance to be creative to your hearts content. Needle felting doesn't just have to be for making dolls, it can be used to make accessories, home decor pieces and much more!

Needle felting also has educational benefits. Since every item we make takes several thousands of stabs from start to finish, and many hours of work, it requires patience and concentration, which of course are tremendous qualities in everyday life. So perhaps it's something that you can do with your children together as a fun activity. We strongly advise caution and supervision if you do choose to do it with your children though! Never let your child needle felt without an adult present with them. Ensure at all times that you keep your hands away from the point you are stabbing, both on top of your work and underneath it where the needle could get through. We have stabbed ourselves several times by not paying attention, and whilst it doesn't do any major harm, it hurts a bit!

The nice thing with needle felted projects is that you don't have to complete it all in one go, if you have a busy lifestyle, you can do a little bit and put it down, then continue with it later on. This way it can also be stress relieving. Equally if you have more time, and you want to do more in one go, there's nothing to stop you, it's a flexible hobby!

Should you wish to take up needle felting, the basic materials you will need are needle felting foam pads, needles small and large, core wool, and coloured wool of which there are varying quality levels. However we recommend that the basic level is perfectly adequate to learn to needle felt with. We would like to wish you the very best for 2014 in whatever you do!